The Daughter Of No One
by Shadow1993
Summary: After finding an old, leather bound journal in her attic one day, Alexia begins to question her true parentage and her own mysterious connection with magic.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: All rights go J.K. Rowling, except for some of the characters and the plot. Also, I would like to thank J.K. Rowling for writing the most amazing/awesome story ever. **

**Chapter One**

I was raised by a muggle woman named Vanora Prisset. She was my mother. But I hated her. She was harsh and unfair toward me. It was as if I was a chore to her; something she didn't want, but had to have. I guess that's why as soon as I turned fifteen, I started hanging around town more often than not.

We lived in a small, yellow house on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by overgrown shrubberies and spider webs. I didn't mind the overgrown greenery, but I hated the spider webs. They were sticky and they were infested with different kinds of spiders, the worst being the red-back spider. I'm forever swiping off threads of webs from my clothes.

The rest of the house wasn't much better. The yellow was chipped in places and was always peeling away. Some of the windows at the front and sided were cracked, some even smashed or having no glass in the pane at all. The front door squeaked loudly and the back door couldn't open at all. The worst of it all was that if it was possible to open the back door, you would only end up toppling down the rocky cliff until you hit the forest floor a hundred feet below. The fall would surely kill you and if it didn't, then whatever creepy animal was lurking in the bushes below probably would. I guess that's why my mother barred the back door.

It was only until I turned fifteen that I noticed the differences between me and her. For starters, we looked nothing alike. Her red hair was always cut shoulder length, she had dark blue eyes, her skin was a creamy colour, pink in some parts and she had a long neck. I was the complete opposite. I had long, black hair that fell to just above my waist, my eyes were dark brown with flecks of black in them and my skin was pale. I was also almost a head taller than her.

But it was only when I was searching through the attic, looking for my book that she had thrown up there in her anger, that I discovered who my biological mother was.

The box had my name on it in bold, capitalised letters: **ALEXIA DWYER-FLETCHLEY**. Naturally I was curious as to why my name was marked on a brown, cardboard box. So I opened it. There wasn't much inside the box, except for a few baby clothes, a porcelain doll looked like a fairy, a green photo album that had butterflies on it and a plain brown, leather-bound book.

The first item I pulled out of the box was the photo album. It held ten photos in total and all of them were moving. The people in the photos were moving, which was just impossible. How could a photo move? Seriously, that's just impossible. But these photos were.

The photos mostly had people I had never even seen in my entire life in them. One was of a couple dancing in front of a fountain; another of a man with shoulder length black hair, quite a few photos of a woman who looked like a model and two of a baby wearing pink.

The next item I pulled out was the leather bound book. The covers felt cold and smooth underneath my fingers as I opened it. About half the book was filled with black, cursive writing, the rest of the pages were blank. On the first page was written in bold letters '**This book is the property of Arya Dwyer-Fletchley**'

I was about to sit down and read it when my mother called out to me. I put the book back, closed the lid and pushed it to where it was before and left the attic, planning on returning later on. Turns out my mother just wanted to know where I was.

I went back up to the attic and began to read the book, as well as look for my book that I still hadn't been able to find. I settled into a comfortable position on the floorboards and started to read through the entries.

_October 3__rd__ 1979_

_It's been awhile since I last wrote, I know. I've been very preoccupied recently. He talked to me. He actually talked to me. I remember it as if it was only yesterday, but it was actually a week and a half ago. I was in the library when he came over and said hello to me. I was so shocked that I just sat there and stared at him with my mouth hanging open. I probably looked like a fish!_

_I had no idea how he had gotten here. After all, he was a deatheater and he was supposed to be at Hogwarts. And it was my parent's house. Well, it was my parent's house. I still haven't fully recovered from their deaths last fall. That stupid, slimy git Tom Riddle – or should I say Voldemort – killed them because they wouldn't join his side. But I'm getting ahead of myself._

_Anyway, he was there, in our personal library and he wanted to see me. Not Lily, but me! That was just the start of the happiest times of my life. We talked and hung out everyday, or at least whenever we could. I fell even more in love with him, if that is possible. It was almost painful though as he was still in love with Lily._

I didn't know half of what this person was writing. Most of the things she wrote sounded like stuff from a science fiction novel. For instance, what on earth were Hogwarts and a deatheater? What got me the most was that she called someone 'Voldemort'. Why would anyone call themself that anyway? The journal was making me more confused than I ever had been in my entire life. And I didn't know whether that was a good thing or not.

_October 6__th__ 1979_

_He's gone. He just...left. My heart is breaking. It's the most painful thing I've ever felt. He said he didn't want me when I told him how I felt. I thought it was different now. But it wasn't. He was still in love with Lily. The pain is too much for me to handle. It's unbearable. I just want to leave. I want to go far, far away and never come back. I want to go somewhere far away from the war raging on here and from Severus Snape._

"Alexia!" My mother yelled, jerking me back to reality. I closed the journal quickly, pushed the box back to where I found it and hid the journal in my loose jacket so I could read it later when I was locked in my room again. "Alexia Prisset! Where are you?!"

"I'm coming!" I yelled so as not to give her a reason to come looking for me. Before I made my way to the kitchen, I dumped the journal in my room so she wouldn't find it. When I entered the kitchen, my mother was stirring something on the stove. I sighed, preparing myself for whatever she was going to do now. "Yes, mother? You wanted me for something?"

"I want you to finish cooking. I have to run down to the corner store for something." I nodded, going to the stove. She pointed her abnormally long index finger at me, while narrowing her eyes. "Don't burn it this time! You hear me! Don't burn it. Otherwise you'll get punished worse than what you got the last time you decided to light the kitchen on fire."

I winced at the mention. I have no idea what happened really. One minute I was stirring the strange gloop that was dinner while trying to calm myself down as mother had banned me from going to the movies with my friends and then, all of a sudden, the kitchen was on fire. It wasn't even my fault. Honestly, I had no idea how that fire started. I was just lucky to get out alive. Mother was definitely not happy about that.

As I stirred the meal, trying not to burn it or the kitchen, my thoughts drifted to the journal hidden in my room. Who wrote it and why was it tucked away in a box with my name on it – and in our attic of all places? The journal was causing more confusion than it was giving answers. No, scratch that. It wasn't giving me any answers. It was only making me question it with no hope of getting any answers. I would have to get the answers to my questions myself. Unless, of course, I could find this 'Arya Dwyer-Fletchley', who ever she is. If I can't find her, then I will have to go talk to this 'Hogwarts' or find Severus Snape. Maybe he could give me the answers I'm looking for.

I knew I was in trouble when a burnt toast sort of smell reached my nose a moment later and the stove beginning to light on fire. "Ah crud...not again!"

I ran to the sink, grabbed a random glass that had been placed in it, filled it with tap water and through it over the stove, managing to put out the fire before it began to blaze. I quickly took the food off of the stove and stared down into the now-burnt gloop. Mother should have known better than to leave me to cook dinner. She knew that I couldn't cook for the life of me. It's hopeless.

"You stupid useless excuse for a human! You went and burnt it again, didn't you?! You're lucky you didn't burn the kitchen down again!" I whirled around at the sound of her voice, my eyes as wide as saucers. She came forward and looked into the pot and then back at me, her eyes blazing. She pushed the pot over to me. "Well then, here's your dinner. There is no way I am going to be eating that now! I should have known something like this was going to happen! Well, go on, eat it!"

I shook my head, my appetite lost. "I'm not hungry."

"I don't care if you're not hungry! You will eat this food now!" I backed out of the kitchen, refusing to eat it. Once she saw that I was refusing it, she picked up the pot and threw it in my direction. I ducked out of the way, narrowly missing it by a strand of hair. The pot clattered to the floor, the contents spilling onto the brown carpet. "Fine! You can clean it up then!"

I ran to my bedroom and slammed the door shut, locking it even though I knew it was pointless. Mother always had a way of getting into my room, even when it was locked. I don't know how she did it, seeing as I kept both the keys with me at all times.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Mother didn't leave me alone for the rest of the night, having managed to break into my room for the hundredth time that week. After yelling at me for what felt like forever, I finally relented and cleaned up the mess. As a reward, she let me have some bread and butter for supper. I wouldn't call it that much of a reward though. She only gave it to me so she wouldn't get into trouble with the authorities.

When I returned to my room later that night after cleaning the rest of the house, she seemed to think I hadn't been punished enough; I tucked into my sheets and continued to read the journal.

_October 14__th__ 1979_

_I'm in Australia. It is so undeniably beautiful here. It's unbelievable really. I arrived here a few days ago, having left England via muggle transport. The journey was long and boring as I just had to sit on some sort of metal broomstick for god knows how long. The flight made me so tired that I ended up sleeping for five hours once I made it to my accommodation. That was three days ago. Since then, I've been wandering around this place I found myself in. It was a small town, nestled deep in the hills. One edge of town was on the edge of a cliff, which I found to be quite odd. Out of all the places in this country, they built a town on the edge of a cliff. It seems a bit stupid to me. _

_Already I've come across a few witches and wizards, but they were so stuck up that I didn't bother wasting my time on them. Until, of course, I found one that wasn't as stuck up as the rest of them. Her name is Vanora Prisset. She's really nice. I've become quite close to her, though not as close as I was to Lily and James. I still feel guilty about leaving them like I did. I didn't say goodbye to them or anyone else. I hope they will forgive me and that I'll get to see them again one day. _

_Vanora has invited me to this place she goes to sometimes. It's somewhere in the outback, near the desert. She wouldn't tell me anything else about it. But she's going to take me there one day, hopefully soon because it sounds quite intriguing. _

That was the last entry that she wrote in 1979. The next one was written in 1980. Either she had forgotten about the diary or was to preoccupied to bother to write at all.

_June 18__th__ 1980_

_Something amazing has happened. I know, I disappear for eight months and then come back acting as if I never left. But to be honest, I never really did. I just didn't know what to say. These past few months have been both wonderful and horrible. Vanora...she's not as good as I thought she was. She took me to that place she mentioned two months after I met her. It was her lair. And it was repulsive. There were bodies chained to the stone walls. Bloodstained, mangled and twisted bodies...and they were everywhere. It was gruesome and almost turned my stomach. But that was only the start of it. There were several alcoves branching out from the main cavern. Only one of the alcoves was empty of any bodies at all. Instead it was full of instruments of torture, muggle and magical. _

_Vanora showed me through all the rooms. The rest were just as gruesome and horrible as the main cavern. But I won't elaborate on their gruesome contents. It is finished. I have finally come to my senses. Vanora is as evil, if not more, than Tom Riddle himself. Needless to say, I am no longer friends with her. _

_But as for my wonderful news, it is as wonderful as anything could be. I am pregnant. Isn't it wonderful? I'm due in less than a month. It's a girl too, just as I hoped it would be. I'm thinking of naming her Alexia. What do you think? _

_But I must go now. I have urgent business I must attend to regarding Alexia. _

I gasped in surprise at the last part of the entry, my hand flying to my mouth. She couldn't be...my mother. No, it's not possible. And the stuff she wrote about mother, Vanora, I mean. Was she really that horrible? Now, that I'm not surprised about. She's never been exactly kind or shown any sort of affection toward me at all. But is she my mother or not? She's all I've ever known.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm confused." I muttered frustratingly. Maybe I should ask mother about it. She'll most likely be very angry about it, but I must ask. I want to know the truth. Is she really my mother or is she not?

I climbed out of bed and snuck out of my room, finding her still lying awake on the lounge. "Mother, I must ask you something."

She groaned before turning in her seat to face me. "What now?"

"Sorry for interrupting you, mother. But I must know." She turned away from me again and returned to watching the documentary she had been watching. She was always watching documentaries, which I always found odd. But I never complained about it. "Who is Arya Dwyer-Fletchley and why does she think I'm her daughter?"

She whirled around almost immediately, her eyes wide open in surprise. Her bottom lip quivered as she begun to speak. "H-how did you find out about that person?"

"I read it somewhere." I didn't want to tell her exactly where I read it, in fear that she would destroy the journal. She pursed her lips and looked at me sternly.

"Forget that name immediately, Alexia. She's nobody of importance." I opened my mouth to complain but she interrupted me before I could say anything. "She's an old acquaintance of mine who died a couple of months after you were born. She's of no consequence, so don't worry about it. Now, off to bed. You have school tomorrow."

I went back to bed, still confused about who this woman was and why she wrote that I was her daughter. Mother was no help at all. Who else would be able to answer my questions? Mother said Arya died a couple of months after I was born. Who would have such a record of deaths and births at that time?

I jumped up from my sheets as an idea came to me. Hospitals would have those kinds of records. I saw it as my only option in finding out who my real mother was. In the morning I would go to the hospital and inquire about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"I'm sorry miss; I can't let you see those records. Only a parent, guardian or any of the medical staff can see those files. So, unless you can get your mother to help you with this, then I'm sorry." The nurse said apologetically. I came to the hospital as soon as school had finished to discover the truth, but the nurses weren't helping me at all. I was becoming desperate. I really needed to see those files, even if I had to sneak in here later at night just to see them.

I chased after the nurse, determined to make her let me at least see them.

"Please! I really need to see those files. I want to know who my biological mother is. Please! Help me!" I pleaded, staring into her brown eyes hopefully. She was a middle-aged woman with warm brown eyes, greying hair and a short, stout body frame. Her face wrinkled as she started to break loose. She sighed, guiding me over to the other window.

"Okay, but only this once. What was your name again?" She asked, sifting through the files. I smiled happily and told her my name again. After awhile she pulled out a thin file with my name on it. She opened the file and began to read through it to herself. "Born July 7th 1980 at the base hospital, 5 pounds 8 ounces; the only daughter of Arya Dwyer-Fletchley. There you have it."

So it is true. Arya Dwyer-Fletchley is my biological mother. But why would mo- I mean, Vanora, deny it? What did she have against my real mother? Is my real mother even alive?

"I-is Arya Dwyer-Fletchley alive? Or is what my guardian said about her death true?" I asked, biting my lip. I didn't let myself hope, even if she was still alive. I doubt Vanora would let me go anywhere once she found out that I know about my real mother.

The nurse glanced back at the file, skimming through the other pages until she stopped at one. Her face seemed to go white as she read whatever was written. Eventually she looked up at me, her face pale. She shook her head slowly in response. "I'm sorry Alexia. I really am sorry about what happened to your mother."

I blinked. "What do you mean by that? What happened to her?"

She seemed wary, unsure about whether she should tell me or not. But she must have changed her mind because she came right out and said it. "She was murdered two months after you were born. I'm so sorry."

I stared at her, shocked by her announcement. My mother – my real mother – was murdered. She was murdered two months after giving birth to me. Why would someone do such a thing? Who would do something as horrible as that? One person came to mind...and I lived with her and called her mother.

"Are you okay, dear?" I slowly nodded my head and thanked her for the information, before heading home. I walked home slowly, not wanting to get there too fast and spend more time with that woman than I would have liked to. I would actually prefer to not go home, but all my belongings are there and I have nowhere else to go. I would most likely have to wait until I turn 18 and leave her and this godforsaken town forever, provided she doesn't kill me first.

The front door swung open as I took my first step into the yard, revealing a very angry looking Vanora. "Where have you been?"

I froze mid-step and stared at her in unease, my mind going blank. She narrowed her steely blue eyes at me as if daring me to lie to her. I gulped, taking a step forward toward her. "S-sorry; I took a trip to the library before coming home. I didn't mean to take so long, I swear."

"Don't lie to me! I know you weren't at the library. I saw you coming out of the hospital." I froze on the top step, still staring at her, but this time I was shocked. How did she know I had gone to the hospital when she looked as if she had just climbed out of bed? She was still wearing her silk pyjamas.

I blinked quickly, stepping around her and stepping into the house. "If you knew that already, than why did you ask?"

"I wanted to see what your pathetic excuse would be. You always give me pathetic excuses. It's all you are good for. It's what you are, a pathetic excuse for a human." She spat, making me cringe slightly. I didn't say anything in reply, instead choosing to escape to my bedroom. "Well, are you going to tell me why you were at the hospital or not?"

I shook my head. "No reason; I wanted some answers to something that has been on my mind for awhile. They told me. It's all good, don't worry. I'm not sick or anything."

"You didn't ask about that woman you mentioned the other day, did you? I told you she's no one." She glared at me, her blue eyes narrowing icily. I stepped into my room, making to shut the door.

"I didn't. You already told me who she was. Goodnight mother." I shut the door in her face and turned, sliding down to the floor. I heard her footsteps grow quieter as she walked away from my bedroom door.

How did she know I went to the hospital? She looked as if she had stayed home all day. Why did she want to know what I was asking the nurse? Why did she even care? The thought made me shiver as I climbed from the floor and got ready for bed. It was only six o'clock in the evening, but I was exhausted.

As I lay in bed, I thought about what the nurse said and what was in my real mother's journal. Vanora wasn't my mother and she was inherently evil, which gave me all the more reason to want to leave this town and Vanora forever. I could go to England to find my father and find out what this 'Hogwarts' is exactly.

Suddenly feeling restless, I got out of bed and went over to my closet. I pulled out my backpack and packed some clothes and the journal into it. I wasn't going to stay another day with her. I was going to leave whether she liked it or not.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

She barely left me alone throughout the months after that day. The only time I was really alone was when I was asleep. Every other time she was there, breathing down my neck, throwing insults my way every five seconds. Due to her constantly being around, I never got the opportunity to go through with my plan to leave. She never went out anymore and I wasn't allowed to go back to school. Instead, she taught me magic. It was a shock at first, to discover that magic really exists and isn't just something from fairytales and Disney movies. I can still remember the day I discovered magic clearly. It was as if it were only yesterday.

_3__rd__ of June 1995_

_I rubbed my eyes sleepily, dragging my feet to the kitchen for a glass of water. Turning the corner, I stopped dead in my tracks. Vanora was standing behind the old wooden kitchen table, staring at me expectantly. On the table was a pile of books, a polished stick, a pot thing and several plants and other funny looking stuff. I stared at Vanora confusedly, frozen in my standing position in the doorway. "Uh...what's all this about? Why have you got a polished stick?" _

"_It's not a polished stick, Alexia. It's called a wand. You use it to cast spells, enchantments, hexes and whatnot." She pulled out a chair and beckoned me to join her. It's a wand? Either she was playing a joke on me or she was losing her mind. Wands are something from fairytales, not reality. I eyed her cautiously as I sat in the chair opposite hers. "Before I begin, do you remember that day when you made those spiders float in the air?"_

"_Of course, how could I forget it?" I nodded, wondering what this was all about and why she brought that day up. I was six years old when it happened and was playing in the garden when I tripped and somehow made two spiders float in the air. The sight of the two spiders suspended in mid air gave me the creeps and I had run into the house, telling Vanora what had happened. She ran out to investigate afterward. _

"_Do you know how you did it?" I shook my head. That was something I was still trying to figure out. She continued. "I do. You were using magic." _

_I laughed at what I thought was her silly idea of a joke, but she wasn't laughing or anything to say that it was a joke. "You can't be serious?! Magic doesn't exist, you know that." _

_She shook her head. "But it does exist. I'll show you." _

_She grabbed the polished stick, the thing she called a wand, and flicked her hand around. Green sparks shot out of the end of the stick and flew up to the ceiling. I gaped at it in awe, not believing that magic truly existed. Vanora was smiling smugly at me, the wand now resting on the table once again. _

After that, she taught me everything about magic from potion making to transfiguration. I was no longer concerned about going back to that muggle school. I had something infinitely better. Magic was like a release for me, an escape. I still thought of my mother and was still looking for the opportune time to leave. But Vanora never left me alone. So I had no choice but to stay and bide my time.

It was now the first of July, only six days till my sixteenth birthday, which I doubt Vanora even knew about. Vanora had only just finished teaching me about summoning charms, watching me carefully as I made several objects float to me.

"Okay, now that you know all the basics. I'm going to teach you how to use the unforgivable curses," Vanora instructed one afternoon. "Hopefully, one day, we'll be able to go to England and join my master, the Dark Lord."

"Who-who's the Dark Lord?" I asked cautiously, biting my bottom lip. I wasn't sure I liked the sound of this 'Dark Lord'. He seemed a bit...weird to me. I mean, who calls themselves a dark lord?

"Lord Voldemort; he's a genius. He only just came back to power over a year ago," she answered, frowning deeply. "It's been so long since I have seen him, fifteen years in fact. That's when that bastard, Harry Potter destroyed my master. Well, he'll rue the day he ever destroyed my master. Oh, he will."

"I feel sorry for Harry Potter," I mumbled, looking away from her awkwardly. I could feel her eyes on me as I summoned a glass cup over to me. I froze in my position, the glass falling to the floor and smashing into a million pieces. I'd heard that name somewhere before. I swear I had. Not Harry Potter, but Voldemort. It took me a few moments to remember exactly where I had heard it from. My mother—my biological mother—wrote about him in her journal. He had murdered her parents because they wouldn't join his side in whatever was going on back then.

"What the hell?! What do you think you're playing at?" Vanora snapped, bringing me back to reality. I turned, staring at her wide-eyed. She was a follower of this Voldemort? Why would anyone want to follow a murderer? It only took me a few seconds to realise that she was a murderer. My mum's journal was testimony to it.

"I didn't mean to do it, it was an accident!" I snapped, waving the wand she had given me to clean the mess. Vanora sneered at me, her eyes narrowing.

"Don't you use that tone with me! Go to your room! We'll finish this lesson once you've learnt to respect your elders." She pointed to the door, her cold gaze watching me pass through it. I already knew that I should respect my elders, but after learning who she truly was, I didn't want to respect her any more than I would a cane toad. I was glad to be out of the room anyway. It was about time I planned my escape.

When I entered my bedroom, I pulled out the bag I had packed months ago and hid it underneath my bed so I could easily retrieve it when I was making my escape. I wouldn't be able to leave immediately as it was still daylight and I would be discovered easily. But I was determined to leave as soon as I could.

Once the bag was well hidden behind a cardboard box, I laid on my bed, waiting for the moon to rise. I could hear Vanora moving around in the living room, probably doing more damage to the house. As the afternoon wore on, the sky turning a reddish-orange, I continued to listen to Vanora's movements and guessing what was going to happen next. At a quarter past five, she opened my door and asked me to return to the living room, the argument seemingly forgotten.

"The first of the unforgivable curses is the Imperius curse. It causes the victim to be completely under control by the caster, who, in turn, can make the victim do anything they wish," Vanora began once we'd returned to the living room. I listened intently to her, wanting to know what to look out for if I ever came across any bad witches and wizards. "The second curse is the Cruciatus curse. It causes the victim to suffer terrible pain. Some people have even been driven insane because of it. Then there is the last unforgivable curse: the killing curse. Only one person has ever survived it and that was Harry Potter."

I nodded, taking the wand out of her outstretched hand. She pulled out a red-back spider out of a glass jar that she had captured some time that afternoon. She released it onto the back of the lounge, where it scurried off, looking for a hiding spot. "I want you to perform each of the curses on this spider. For the Imperius curse, you say 'imperio'. Now do it, before it escapes."

I gulped loudly, pointing the wand nervously at the spider, which was now slowly cascading down the side of the lounge on a strand of spiders' silk. "I-imperio!"

The spider stopped, dangling in mid air right where the wand was pointing. Vanora began to clap loudly, cheering me on. "Good, good! Now drag it to that corner cupboard over there."

I made it move to the cupboard and then let it go, turning to Vanora. "Can we do the rest tomorrow? I'm tired."

"Okay, bright and early though," she sighed, looking disappointed. I put the wand on the corner cupboard and sat on the lounge, watching the spider working its way to the open window. Vanora disappeared into the kitchen, I suppose, to prepare dinner. It was time for me to make my escape. I had it planned out. I knew what I was going to do.

I eyed the wand on the cupboard, planning on stealing it. I had to be careful. I had to make sure she was out of sight, otherwise it wouldn't work. That was one of the reasons why I said I was tired. I stood up and tiptoed to the kitchen door, looking in to see if Vanora was watching or not. She was turned away, chopping something up in cubes. Sure she wasn't going to turn away anytime soon, I snuck over to the wand, slipping it into my front pocket. I then walked casually out of the living room to my bedroom to retrieve my bag.

"Alexia, come here!" Vanora called, sounding angry. I sighed, dropping my bag and pushing it back under my bed. I took the wand out of my pocket and hid underneath my pillow so it wasn't obvious. I then made my way out to her in the kitchen. She must have known I was already there because when next she spoke, it was quieter. "Where is the wand?"

She was facing me, her expression cold and hard as stone, the food cooking on the stove forgotten. One look at her told me that she knew I had taken it. She knew I had stolen the wand and hidden it. "I'll be back."

I returned to my bedroom to get the wand. I wouldn't be able to steal the wand again. It was pointless now. She would keep it on her person from now on. I would have to escape without using magic. I returned to the kitchen, showing her the wand.

"I put it on that cupboard in the hall," I lied, putting the wand onto the table. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me, making me panic. I didn't think she believed me, but she snatched the wand out of my hands and turned back to the stove anyway, not saying a word to me. I exited the kitchen through the living room door and went to retrieve my bag. When I had closed my bedroom door and went to exit through the front door, there was a loud rumbling coming from the living room. I dumped my bag and ran to the living room to investigate.

Dirt and dust was erupting from the fireplace, making it barely visible. But from what I could see through the dust, even with my eyes squinted into slits, was a small figured lying on the now-brown carpet. Vanora was standing in the kitchen doorway, her eyes narrowed into slits as well. I guess she saw the girl, who was now clambering awkwardly to her feet, as well, because she began to walk forward, looking confused and angry. I rushed to the girl, helping her balance herself, before Vanora could get to her and harm her in any way.

"Uh...it's okay Mother. I'll um, sort her out," I said loudly to Vanora. She stared at me sceptically before nodding, figuring she could trust me with this. To the girl I muttered, "Come with me. Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you or anything."

She nodded, walking by herself now. I took her to my bedroom and sat her on my bed, before running to the bathroom to get a towel for her to clean herself off with.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The girl had fiery red hair, which was full of soot and dirt from the fireplace. Her pale skin had large patches of dirt covering it in places, more on the face then any other bit of skin showing. Her green eyes disappeared behind the towel when I gave it to her.

I sat on the bed beside her, watching her with interest. Where did she come from and how did she get here? Why did she come out from the fireplace? I waited for her to finish with the towel before I began to question her. "Um...who are you?"

She stared at me nervously, biting her bottom lip. "I'm Jocie, Jocelyn Hanson. Who are you?"

"Alexia Prisset—no, wait, Dwyer-Fletchley. I'm Alexia Dwyer-Fletchley, not Prisset." I replied, a little bit confused about what to call myself. I hadn't thought of changing my last name now that I knew about my mother. It must have slipped from my mind. "Anyway, how did you get here? And where did you come from?"

She smiled widely, her green eyes sparkling in the low lighting. "You didn't know your name?"

I returned the smile, knowing what seemed so amusing to her now. "It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell it to you sometime. Or not. But anyway, that doesn't matter right now. How did you get here and where did you come from?"

"Well, it's a long story as well. Are you sure you want to hear it?" She asked, laughing silently. I nodded eagerly. I liked her already, even though I had only known her for ten minutes. "Well, I was at home, my brothers were fighting, throwing fists at each other and everything. I didn't like it. I hate it when people fight in front of me. It's weird, I know. But anyway, they were fighting in front of me and I couldn't help but just grab a fistful of floo powder and escape. Oh wait! You're a muggle! I shouldn't be saying this."

"A muggle? What's a muggle?" I asked, confused yet again. I'd never heard of such a term. Was it a magical thing? She looked anxious, looking anywhere but at me. She didn't seem to know what to say, so I figured I would help her in some way. "It's okay, you can tell me. Has it got anything to do with magic?"

She seemed to relax a bit, before staring at me confusedly. "You know about magic? You're a witch too?"

"Yeah, I am. I only found out a few weeks ago though, so I know very little of the magical world," I nodded, smiling. "Now, continue on with your story, please."

"Oh, right...where was I? Oh yes! So, I used floo powder and left my home. I have no idea how I ended here though. I meant to go to my friends place at the Burrow. I guess I came one grate too far. Umm...this might sound odd, but where am I exactly?" She asked, looking sheepish.

"Woodgren...Australia." I said, noticing her confused expression. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in her shock. She stood up and began to pace around the small expanse of my room, muttering to herself. I watched her carefully, confused about her reaction. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah...I shouldn't be in Australia! I'm supposed to be in England." She whirled around to face me. Her shock was still existent, but it was now masked with fear. I stood up and wrapped one arm across her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

"Come sit down, it's all right. It's going to be okay. I'll find a way to get you back to England." I said reassuringly, pushing her gently into a sitting position on the bed. Maybe I could go with her, if I ever figure out how to get her back. "Tell me more, okay. What is floo powder anyway?"

"It's a powder that allows anyone to travel between fireplaces. That's how I got here. But I don't have anymore floo powder so I can't go back." She sniffled loudly, a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks as she began to cry.

"Hey, don't cry! Please, don't cry. Vanora will kill us both if she hears you crying. Please stop!" I said, afraid that Vanora would hear. She stopped sobbing immediately, wiping away the tears. She sniffled loudly, wincing at the noise slightly.

"Sorry! I'm just worried that I'll never be able to get back home in time for school. I go to Hogwarts." She sniffled again, quieter this time. I blinked, surprised that she mentioned Hogwarts. I had been wondering what it was for so long that finally knowing someone who knew about it was like a godsend to me.

"What exactly is Hogwarts?" I asked, feeling stupid for not knowing what it was. She stared at me in disbelief. "I know, I should know what it is. But I am new to the wizarding world, so, naturally, I've never heard of it."

"Oh, right; well, Hogwarts is a school. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the greatest wizarding school in the galaxy." She explained, grinning despite her sadness. "It's awesome there! Truly it is. And Harry Potter goes there too. You do know who Harry Potter is, right?"

"Er...I've heard of him. Why? Is he famous?" I asked, again feeling stupid for not knowing things. But, despite probably knowing that I was feeling incredibly stupid, she laughed anyway.

"Yes, very famous. I'm surprised you do not know why he's famous! The whole world knows his name!" She said excitedly, her sadness seemingly forgotten. I sighed, realising that she probably wasn't going to believe what I said about not knowing I was a witch. I would probably have to keep telling her until it clicks in her mind. "No one knows how he did it, but he defeated You Know Who when he was a baby."

"When he was a baby? He defeated a dark wizard when he was only, what, one or two years old? How is that possible?" I blinked, surprised about this news. How could a baby —a baby! —defeat a fully trained dark wizard? It hardly seemed possible.

"Well, that's the thing, isn't it? No one knows how he did it. Well, I expect Dumbledore knows, but he doesn't let on much—"

"Who's Dumbledore?" I interrupted, curiosity getting the better of me.

"He's the headmaster of Hogwarts. He's a genius." She said excitedly. At the mention of Hogwarts, I came up with an idea. My mother mentioned the school in her journal and this girl knew about it, would she be able to tell me about the other people mentioned in the journal?

"Hey, this might sound stupid...but, do you know who Severus Snape and Tom Riddle are? Wait; never mind about Tom Riddle, I think I might know who he is. But do you know who the other one is? I saw his name in this journal I found a few months ago." I asked, blabbering a bit. There was one more person I wanted to know about, but her surname wasn't written in, so I doubt she would be able to give me any answers. I would be content with just finding out who this Snape is. She blinked a few times, before her expression into one of confusion.

"He's...he's the potions professor at Hogwarts...why was his name written in some journal?" She stared at me sceptically. He's the potions professor. He's at Hogwarts. If I could only get there and find out exactly why he was mentioned in the journal.

"I don't know; that's kind of what I would like to find out. I've looked his name up everywhere and I couldn't find him." I replied. I perked up, smiling widely, as an idea came to mind. "Hey, I've got an idea. Again, it's probably incredibly stupid...but, if I do manage to find a way for you to get back to England...can I come with you?"

I bit my bottom lip nervously as I waited for her response. It was a stupid idea, an incredibly stupid idea, but it was the only thing I could come up with on such short notice. Besides, she probably wouldn't even let me go with her anyway, which is why I wasn't going to let myself hope.

I could see the request turning over in her mind as she thought about it. She was probably thinking of what her family would think and of all the consequences of bringing me home with her. She was probably in enough trouble as it is with her family for leaving like she did.

Just as I thought about giving up, she smiled widely and nodded, probably blowing off the consequences as if they were nothing too big to deal with. I smiled back at her, flinging my arms around her. "Thank you! Thank you so much! You wouldn't believe how long I've wanted to get out of here."

"It can't be that bad, can it?" She asked as I released her from my tight grip.

"It's horrible. Did you see that woman's expression when you arrived? She was about ready to murder you if I hadn't stepped in." I exaggerated. Vanora probably wouldn't murder her for dropping in like she did. She would just have been really angry about it and demanded she leave at once. Jocelyn stared at me, eyes wide with fear. I chuckled, shaking my head. "I'm kidding. She wouldn't have murdered you. But you would have been in terrible trouble."

She nodded. "So, how are we going to leave?"

"No idea; but I'll figure something out." I looked around my room, hoping something would give me an idea. Sighing, I reached under my bed for my bag and stood up from the bed. "Come on, we'll leave this house first, then we'll figure out how to get to England."

She came to stand beside me as I inched forward to the door. After checking the coast was clear, we both tiptoed to the front door as quietly as we could. I went to open the door, hoping it wouldn't squeak as bad as it usually did. I swung it open, wincing as it squeaked loudly twice. When I heard heavy footsteps coming closer to the hallway, I opened the door further as fast as I could without making too much noise and squeezed out of it, with Jocelyn following shortly behind. I closed the door behind us and we both retreated down the front steps.

"Quick, run!" I said as I heard the door open once again. I looked back and saw Vanora standing in the doorway, pulling her wand out of her pocket. "Duck!"

We both dived behind a couple of bushes, swiping away any webs sticking to us. "Alexia Prisset, get back here right now!"

"No!" I screamed back at her, knowing now was the time to let her know that I knew she wasn't my mother. "And my name is Alexia Dwyer-Fletchley, not Prisset!"

"That's not your name and you know it." She said, as she came closer to where we were. I stood up, beckoning for Jocelyn to follow and bolted down the walkway to the street, ducking to avoid Vanora's spells.

"You're wrong, Vanora. My mother was Arya Dwyer-Fletchley. You murdered her two months after I was born!" She stopped trying to curse, jinx or hex us as soon as I said that. Jocelyn and I continued to run, crossing the street halfway down the road. When I looked back, I found Vanora standing in the middle of the road staring wide-eyed at my retreating figure, probably shocked that I knew what she had done to my mother. But I didn't dare linger, as she could wake up from her shock and continue to curse or jinx us or maybe even use the killing curse on me and Jocelyn.

We turned the corner and ran into the park across the road, not daring to look back until we reached the playground at the end of the park. When I looked back the way we came, I jumped about a foot in the air in shock. I thought Vanora would have followed us into the park, but what I saw instead was definitely something that I was not expecting at all.

Standing by the gate was an old man with long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles perched on his crooked nose and wearing a long, billowing cloak and a pointed hat. I stopped dead in my tracks, startled by the appearance of this man. I stared at him, wondering where he came from and who he was. After awhile I heard footsteps approach and turned to Jocelyn, who was walking back to me, a confused look on her face. "Aren't you coming? Dumbledore! Alexia, that's Professor Dumbledore! What's he doing here?"

I blinked, looking from Jocelyn to the old man, who was now coming closer to us. That was Dumbledore? I thought he was, well, younger. But he looked as if he were a hundred and fifty years old, give or take a few years. "That's Dumbledore? Hello sir."

"Hello, what's your name? Ah, Miss Hanson! Your family were worried about you." He said as a matter of fact. Jocelyn looked at her feet ashamedly, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "You shouldn't leave your family like that. Luckily, I am here to help. Now, who's your friend here?"

"I'm Alexia; Alexia Dwyer-Fletchley. She came to my house when she used the floo powder." I introduced myself, explaining how I came across Jocelyn. Dumbledore nodded, staring at me with an odd expression. But then he shook his head and looked away.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Alexia. Thank you for helping Miss Hanson here, but now, it seems it is time for her to go home. Good day, Alexia." I frowned, staring at Jocelyn, hoping she would explain to him that I was coming with them.

"Uh, sir, actually, Alexia can't go back to her old home. You see, when we were escaping, her guardian kind of tried to kill us both. I said she could come with me to England." Dumbledore remained silent for a moment, giving me a calculating stare.

"She tried to kill you both? Who is this woman you are talking about? Can you show me?" He asked, still staring at me, making me uncomfortable. I took a few steps toward the gate, before coming to a halt. Vanora had just entered the park and was staring right at me with her wand raised.

"Alexia! You stupid girl. Your mother was just as foolish as you are. As soon as she discovered who I was, she too decided she didn't want to be around me anymore. But I got her, oh yes I did. I got her and now, I'll get you!" She screeched wildly, her eyes blazing. I backed away, eyes wide, to the other entrance to the park, preparing to run for another god only knows how long. But before I could get any further than the next park bench, a hand pulled me back. I turned instinctively and almost bumped into Dumbledore.

"Hold onto my arm, please Alexia." He requested. I did as he said, feeling I had no choice. Jocelyn was holding onto his other arm. Then, before I could prepare myself for what was about to happen, I felt like I was being forced into a really thin tube. Everything went black, I could not breathe. But then the feeling disappeared and I could breathe freely again. When I opened my eyes a second later, it wasn't the park I could see. We were standing in front of a large, run-down building that had vines covering most of the front, save for a little gap where the front door was. I let go of Dumbledore's arm and turned on the spot, looking for the park. "I take it you've never disapparated before. Am I right, Alexia?"

"Disapparated? What's that?" I looked around, gaping at my surroundings, not knowing how I got there exactly.

"It's the ability to disappear from one place and almost instantly appear somewhere else." Jocelyn answered after only a second. Dumbledore walked forward, beckoning us both to follow him. I glanced at Jocelyn before cautiously taking a step forward to the house, which Dumbledore was heading to. The interior of the building wasn't much better than the exterior. There was very little furniture, all of which was either lying on their sides or had missing legs; the walls were bare, except for small patches of wallpaper peeled from the walls and there was a large hole on the floor in the room we walked into. We carefully navigated ourselves around the gaping hole, through which I could see the soil from underneath the house very clearly, stopping in front of the fireplace.

"I think it is best for you to go first, Miss Hanson. You should explain Alexia's predicament to your parent's before she arrives." Dumbledore insisted. Jocelyn nodded, stepping forward.

"We're going to use the floo network to get back, sir?" Jocelyn asked him. He nodded and held out a jar full of a silvery dirt substance. Jocelyn grabbed a handful of the dirt and walked into the fireplace. "Where am I supposed to go, sir?"

"Home, I reckon." She nodded, throwing the dirt into the fireplace and yelling 'Bumbledon!' I shrieked jumping back a step, almost falling into the hole, as green flames erupted around Jocelyn. But when I looked back a moment later, they had disappeared and so had Jocelyn. "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. Step forward now, please Alexia. Grab a handful of floo powder and do exactly as she did."

I did as he requested, grabbing a handful of the powder and stepping into the fireplace, fear gripping me instantly. I stared at Dumbledore as I raised my arm up. He nodded. Reassured that it was going be alright, I followed Jocelyn's example and yelled "Bumbledon!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**Yep, so it's been awhile since my last upload. I'll keep this short so I won't keep you from the story for too long. First things first, I had a massive writer's block problem (it took quite a few months to get over it) and then I had quite a few computer troubles…and a whole lot of other things, but I'll tell you those some other time perhaps. Anyway, on with the story!

**Chapter Six**

Almost immediately, green flames erupted around me and sent me spinning very fast. I saw blurred glimpses of other fireplaces before slowing down, coming to a stop in one grate and tumbling out of it into a white-washed living room. Dust flew out around me, preventing me from seeing further than two feet in front of me.

After awhile the dust began to settle on the carpet and I could see clearly where I was. There were four faces staring down at me, curiosity showing on three of the faces, the other expectant. Two of the people were older, their faces lined with worry, stress and a hint of fear. The woman, whom I suspected to be Jocelyn's mother, had a stern face, the lines more prominent around her brows and eyes. She was a heavy-set woman with fiery red hair, much like Jocelyn's, and also had pale green, almost yellow looking, eyes. The older man looked kinder than the woman, the lines less prominent, but still there. He had dark brown hair, almost black, and his eyes were the same colour as the third person, who I thought perhaps, was Jocelyn's brother. His eyes were a warm brown with flecks of gold.

The third, and last of the group, looked to be a younger version of the older man, without the lines along his face. He was about an inch taller than his father, who was around six foot. He was muscular, but still very thin.

I stood up quickly, stumbling over my own feet a bit, before falling into the guys arms. I flushed, embarrassed by my own clumsiness. "Sorry...um...I'm just going to be over here."

I walked over to Jocelyn, looking down at my feet, avoiding their looks. Then we all looked up as Dumbledore appeared in the fireplace. He dusted himself off before turning to the older couple and engaged in a quiet conversation with them, probably discussing me, while Jocelyn and the other guy turned to me. Jocelyn smiled widely at me as she pulled him forward.

"Alexia, this is my brother Arden; Arden, this is Alexia." He held his hand out, clinging onto my hand a little longer than necessary. "My other brother, Noah, is in his room upstairs, probably sulking about losing his side of the argument. You can meet him later."

"Alexia, these people have kindly agreed to look after you until you go to Hogwarts. They have also promised to catch you up with the rest of the sixth years. Though you won't be able to use magic outside of school. Good day," Dumbledore instructed before disapparating. Alexia's parents came over to me, staring at me curiously. Jocelyn bit her bottom lip nervously, before going to introduce her parents to me.

"This is my father Alodis; and my mother Persephone. This is Alexia, and now you know everyone." I shook hands with her parents quickly, smiling a bit too widely at them. "Come on, I'll show you to where you'll be sleeping."

Jocelyn grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom. Her room was bright yellow. Like the sun. Sort of. Her bed was in the left hand corner, against the wall, with a kind of metallic-yellow flower-patterned quilt cover. To the right was a chest of drawers and a desk. The rest of the room was rather bare, save for a small, circular floor mat in the centre of the room.

I turned to Jocelyn with a bewildered expression. "Your room is very…bright. But, um, and I don't mean to be rude or anything, but where am I supposed to be sleeping?"

She chuckled quietly. "In here of course. Mum just hasn't set up a bed for you yet. So, would you like a tour?"

I nodded, thinking I may as well get it over and done with. After all, I wouldn't want to wake up in the middle of the night, needing to go to the bathroom and having no idea where it is.


End file.
